Skinny Sweet Potato Soup with Turkey Bacon Crumbles

Hey there friends! I'm back with another light recipe! Even though I'm really focused on lowering sodium, lowering carbs and eating more protein and veggies, I'm still craving fall flavors! So, I'm getting more creative and finding ways to make recipes work for me. This Cooking Light soup is fantastic! I made just a couple of changes. It's got just a little bit of a kick to it, which I love! The leftovers were great for lunch throughout the week.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you could put the soup into a blender in two batches. Just remove the center of lid to allow steam to escape, but cover it with a towel to avoid splatters. But, really, if you love to cook, you'd love an immersion blender. It's one of my favorite gadgets.

Skinny Sweet Potato Soup with Turkey Bacon Crumbles
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Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise (about 2 large) 1/4 cup water 
2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) 
1/4 teaspoon salt $ (I omitted) 6 turkey bacon slices, cooked and crumbled 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup) 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)

1. Place potatoes, cut sides down, in an 11 x 7-inch microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly; discard potato skins.
   
2. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute or until translucent. Stir in cumin and red pepper. Add stock to pan; bring to a boil. Using an immersion blender, blend until the soup is smooth. Add salt, if desired. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls; sprinkle cooked turkey bacon and Parmesan cheese evenly over top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Enjoy! Happy Fall :)

Skinny Root Vegetable Chip-Crusted Chicken

I have the easiest recipe for you guys! This could not be more simple: 3 ingredients. Light. Full of flavor. So... you should definitely make it.

Kroger has a fairly new line of organic, natural products called Simple Truth. I love everything I've tried. These Natural Exotic Vegetable Chips are fantastic! They are low in sodium and fit within my Total Transformation eating requirements.

The other day, I was snacking on some and thought there had to be a way to use these in a recipe. I've seen a lot of chip-crusted chicken recipes on Pinterest, but the chicken is either dredged in flour and egg, or soaked in buttermilk first. To make it healthier, I dipped mine in egg white. It was DELISH!

To ensure crispiness, I placed an oven-safe cooling rack on a baking sheet and sprayed with cooking spray. This allows the heat to circulate around the food and cook it more evenly. I do this with any coated chicken, fish, etc. It makes a big difference!

Skinny Root Vegetable Chip-Crusted Chicken
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Ingredients:
1.25 - 1.5 lbs of organic chicken breasts or tenders
1 bag of Simple Truth Natural Exotic Vegetable Chips (or Terra chips, but they are tad higher in sodium)
1/4 cup egg whites
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 375. Place cooling rack over baking sheet and spray with a little cooking spray.

Pulse all of the chips in a food processor until large pieces are broken down. You could also place in a large ziplock bag and crush. Place in a small dish.

Cut chicken breasts into tenders, if not already. Place the egg whites in another small dish.

Dip chicken in egg whites, allowing excess to drip off, then place in chip pieces and coat. Place chicken on baking sheet. Repeat until all are coated. Before placing in over, spray chicken with a little bit of cooking spray.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. My tenders were pretty small, so 25 minutes was perfect.




These made for pretty good leftovers, too. The natural chips have a slight oiliness to them, so I stored them on wax paper in an airtight container.

Each serving of 2 tenders is about 185 calories and 270 mg of sodium. Yay!

Naked Turkey Bruschetta Burger

Hey there! I'm 2 weeks into my Total Transformation and so far, I'm really pleased with the results. It's amazing what a change in your eating habits and exercise can do in such a short time frame. I can't wait to see how I'm feeling 4 weeks from now! The food component of this hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be, as long as I have a plan for the day. I don't want to eat bland food, so I've been researching "skinny" versions of recipes even more than I used to. Here is one of my new favorites! This comes from SkinnyTaste.com - a great resource for lighter recipes.

The turkey burger would be great by itself (and I plan to use that basic recipe from now on), but adding the bruschetta really amps it up. It also looks beautiful - and we do eat with our eyes first :)

To reduce the sodium, I left out salt.



Naked Turkey Bruschetta Burger
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Bruschetta Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 3 oz part skim mozzarella, diced (I chopped up 3 string cheese)

For the turkey zucchini burgers:

• 1.25 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 small zucchini, grated (1 cup, or 5 oz)
• 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp red onion, grated
• fresh pepper
• oil spray

For serving:

• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 10 thin slices
• 4 loose cups baby arugula (I used mixture of spinach and arugula)

Combine the red onion, olive oil, balsamic, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside a few minutes while you chop the tomatoes, then place in the bowl. Add the garlic, basil and additional pepper, to taste and mix well and set aside. Toss in the cheese when ready to serve.

Squeeze the excess moisture from the zucchini in a paper towel. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, shredded zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, and pepper. Form into 5 equal sized patties about 5 oz each, forming them as flat as possible.

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, lightly spray with oil. Add the burgers to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 4 minutes, careful not to burn. 

To serve, arrange 3 slices of tomatoes on each dish, then place 1 cup arugula on top in the center, then top with the burger and finish with the bruschetta (don't forget to add the cheese), serve right away. 


Enjoy!

Skinny Egg White Veggie Muffins

I have another tasty, clean, low-calorie, healthy dish to share! In my Total Transformation challenge so far, I've discovered breakfast is a challenge for me. I need something convenient and fast as I tend to grab on my way out the door and eat at my desk. My favorite thing is Chobani yogurt, but the reason it tastes so good is the amount of sugar included....of course! In an effort to cut back a bit more, I tried these egg white muffins from Eat Yourself Skinny. I made a few modifications and they turned out great! I baked them on Sunday afternoon and they keep well in the refrigerator or freezer. The are super low in calories, so I microwave 2 each morning. You could use any combination of veggies and herbs to mix things up.

Skinny Egg White Veggie Muffins
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Ingredients:
14 egg whites
4 eggs
4 green onions, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 red pepper, minced
1/2 zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Fresh-cracked pepper
Sea salt (I omitted to reduce sodium)


Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tin evenly with cooking spray, or line with baking liners.

Combine veggies in a large bowl and toss to combine. Fill each muffin cup roughly 2/3 full.

Whisk eggs and seasonings in a bowl and pour into the muffin cups. They will be full to the top by the time you spread the mixture around the tin.

Bake muffins for 30 minutes until they are slightly browned.

Enjoy!!

Skinny Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Last week, on the first day of my Total Transformation fitness challenge, I came down with a nasty cold/sinus/bug thing. I was all excited and ready to begin my 6 weeks of clean eating and working out, but my body was wiped out. I had to stay home from work all day on Tuesday. And I don't know about you, but when I'm sick I really want a hot, broth-y soup. All of the sudden, my lunch of cooked chicken breast, nuts and grapes just wasn't exciting.  I checked all of my canned soups for anything pre-made, but the sodium was off the charts! So, I opted to make something from scratch. I'm so glad I did, because it was fantastic and served as a great meal for the next couple of days.

This recipe is based on one from Cooking Light, but I made a few adjustments based on what I had and did a few things to reduce the sodium. It's really quick and easy to make! Trust me, I made it while I was loaded up on several medications and dragging myself around the kitchen.

Skinny Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
• 4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained (I used Kroger's Simple Truth Tri-Bean Medley)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella
• 8 lime wedges

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil, onion, garlic and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add chili powder and next 3 ingredients; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes. Top evenly with cilantro and cheese. Serve with lime.

Later in the week when I was down to the last of my soup leftovers, I combined a little bit of the soup with some cooked rice and it was a very tasty Tex-Mex-style rice bowl. With a sliced avocado and part-skim mozzarella stick, it was a very satisfying light lunch!

Mango Ginger Salmon Salad

I almost titled this recipe "Quick-Easy-Healthy-Clean Mango Ginger Salmon Salad" but I though that was a little long :) 

I'm currently participating in a 6-week health and fitness challenge at my gym called Total Transformation. It's pretty intense, which is just what I need. It means that I'm drinking gobs of water, eating lots of small meals throughout the day and working out and strength training more in a week than I usually do. I'm 4 days in and so far, so good! My hope is to be a slimmer, more healthy version of myself 6 weeks from now, and to have adopted these habits long after the 6 weeks ends. And, you'll probably start seeing lots of cleaner, leaner recipes on Keeping Up with the Joneses!

This salad is super fast, fresh and flavorful.You could easily mix in different veggies and herbs.

Mango Ginger Salmon Salad
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Ingredients:
2 salmon filets
1 tbsp Naturally Fresh Mango Ginger Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
4 cups spinach leaves
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 large carrot (or handful of baby carrots), sliced
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Additional dressing

Preheat broiler.  Line baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

Brush salmon filets with with salad dressing. Broil for 12-14 minutes. My oven has a high and low setting choice, so I used low and bumped it up to high for the last few minutes for a little extra crisp.

While salmon broils, assemble salad with remaining ingredients. Top with salmon filets and drizzle with additional dressing.

Yum!

Chicken Vegetable Tostada

I have such an easy and delicious dinner recipe to share with you guys! This would be a great way to use some of the last of the tasty summer corn and zucchini, although you could easily adapt this recipe with a variety of veggies.

Even though Cooking Light ranks this as one of their best recipes, I was skeptical that it would be all that special. I was wrong. This was a hit! And, it could not be easier.

Chicken Vegetable Tostada
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Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (omit to reduce sodium)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces chicken breast tenders
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small)
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.


For a faster meal, you could always use rotisserie chicken. If you don't have salsa verde on hand, any salsa would work! I happen to love a peppery corn salsa from Kroger, so I used that instead.

Enjoy!

Light Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Veggies

Eating light does not have to mean sacrificing things you love. You just have to approach it differently. In my quest to find ways to eat healthier, I have really relied on Cooking Light. I feel like I've said that 1,000 times on this blog, but it's such a fantastic resource. The magazine really gets better and better with each month!

This PASTA is on the lighter side. Yep, pasta can be on the lighter side, folks...and still be delicious! Almost better than that is how quick and easy this dish is. It uses a package of Friday's frozen Spinach Artichoke Dip as a foundation for the sauce. Ever tried it?

When I saw this in the pages of their magazine, I laughed at first. This frozen dip has been one of my husband's main food groups since I've known him. For the last 10 years, he has always had a package of this frozen dip stashed away. His mom kept it on hand. He had them in college. And, I too support his habit and purchase a few boxes regularly.
My man can eat like a horse, so it's not uncommon for this to be his pre-dinner snack, or 10:00 fourth meal. He likes to put a little bit of salsa in his before eating with pita chips. I, for one, do not care for T.G.I. Friday's, or frozen snack items like this, but I have to admit, it's pretty good. So, I was so excited to surprise Keith with this dinner!

It did not disappoint. I LOVED how fast this was. It's not something I will make a lot, because I don't need to be having pasta very often, but when were' in the mood for it, this is the ticket. I added some rotisserie chicken to it for added protein, but it would be great without.

 

Light Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Veggies
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Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta (or whole wheat penne)
• 2 cups (2-inch) cut asparagus
• 1 cup (2 x 1/2-inch) cut yellow bell pepper
• 2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1 (8-ounce) package frozen spinach-and-artichoke cheese dip (such as T.G.I. Friday's), thawed
• 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken (I pulled pieces from a rotisserie) 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add asparagus and bell pepper to pan; drain.

Combine milk and spinach dip in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Combine pasta mixture, spinach mixture, chicken, salt, and tomatoes in a large bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with basil, pine nuts, and cheese.


ENJOY!
This would be a great recipe to experiment with. You could try other yummy veggies like mushrooms!

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Basil and Tomatoes

I'm so behind on my blogging! Sorry, guys! I haven't had time to squeeze it in during the day, and sometimes the last thing I want to do is be on my computer once I'm home. But, I still love y'all more than my mixer. 
And, I had a pretty great party last night that I can't wait to share all the deets on.

Here's a great recipe that I hope you'll make before the delicious tomatoes and green beans of summer go away. It's SO good! I could not stop eating the green beans. It was like they were french fries and I just couldn't resist reaching in the fast food bag one more time. But, no need to feel bad. These are beans, not fries, so stuff your face all you like!

Also, the dressing recipe is so good, you'll love it on just about anything.

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Basil and Tomatoes
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Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp salt (4 tsp total)
5 firm ripe tomatoes
4 springs fresh basil

Garlic-Basil Dressing:
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup canola, corn or other vegetable oil
15 fresh basil leaves

Trim the stem ends of the green beans (you can leave the pointed tips). Halve the longer ones, if you like. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. While the water's heating, fill a large bowl with ice water (using at least a dozen cubes of ice). Once the water boils, add the beans and cook briefly: 1 or 2 minutes for tiny haricots, 4 or 5 for bigger beans. Don't walk away. Drain the beans quickly. Then shock them by dumping them in the ice water, agitating them briefly until they are quite cool (about a minute). 

Then drain again and set aside. They can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed plastic bag for several hours with no loss of color or texture. If you do refrigerate, first dry them extra-thoroughly on a dish towel.

In a blender or food processor, mince garlic and shallot. Add the vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and sugar. Slowly drizzle in the oil. Add the basil leaves and coarsely chop with several on/off pulses.

When ready to serve, toss the green beans with 1/3 cup of the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Taste and add more dressing or salt as needed. Pile the beans high in the center of a large platter. Arrange the tomato slices overlapping around the edge. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, and drizzle 3 tablespoons of the dressing on top of them. Garnish with the basil sprigs. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!! 

Source: NPR of all places

Watermelon and Chicken Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing

The fact that we are now in September completely blows my mind.  While I am so delighted to welcome Fall and all of its glory, the foodie in me is not ready to give up summer produce. The fruits and veggies this time of year cannot be beat. So, we are making the most of it until these goodies run out. Then, I'll shift my focus to squash and apples and be excited about that, too. Until then, DON'T LEAVE ME,  PEACHES. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you.

Another summer treat I love is watermelon. We've been buying a small, personal-sized seedless watermelon each week and cutting it up. It's a great snack to keep in the fridge. It also made for a really, really good salad the other night. I found a Southern Living pepper jelly dressing recipe and thought the combo of grilled chicken and watermelon on a salad would be a quick weeknight meal. I wasn't expecting it to rock my world, but it did. Keith was obsessed and said at least 8 times that night how much he loved this salad. He has since mentioned it to me twice. That's when I know I've found a good one!

Watermelon and Chicken Salad with Pepper Jelly Dressing
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Ingredients
Chicken:
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp honey
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salad:
5 cups cubed and seeded watermelon
1 (6-ounce) package mixed greens (I used Romaine)
1/2 cup feta crumbles
3/4 cup honey roasted almonds (I buy them in a package to save time)
Small handful of chopped fresh mint leaves

Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup pepper jelly
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. In a plastic bag, combine chicken breasts with lime zest, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Seal bag and toss around to combine. If you have time to marinade, that's great, but these can go straight to the grill after a few minutes and still be full of flavor.
2. In a small bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, pepper jelly, lime juice, onion, salt and pepper. Whisk until the jelly begins to dissolve. Slowly add the oil, whisking until it all combines. Set aside. 
   
3. Toss together the watermelon, greens, feta, and almonds. Drizzle dressing over, or toss. Slice chicken and serve on top. Sprinkle with fresh mint.

Note: Since I was making this for just two of us, I did about half of the salad ingredients. I made the full batch of chicken and salad dressing (for leftovers), but assembled the salads using less of the greens, cheese, watermelon, etc.

Don't be surprised if you freak out over the dressing. It's AMAZING.

Happy end-of-summer!

Panko-Crusted Chicken Drumsticks and Roasted Potato Salad

Goodness gracious. This may be one of the best recipes I've made all summer. Or, all year. Either way, it blew our minds. SO GOOD.

Eating light doesn't have to mean eating boring foods. Cooking Light is my favorite resource, and the September issue is packed with recipes I could not wait to try. Last week, I tried 3 and I bookmarked at least 20 more to make soon. But, I'd be surprised if we topped this. 

These chicken drummies are so tender and full of flavor. I am anti deep-frying at home, so this oven-fried version is perfect.  I followed the recipe to a T and wouldn't change a darn thing. In fact, it's such an easy recipe that CL magazine had this in their kid's column! 

I also served it with another Cooking Light recipe for roasted potato salad. It's German-style with a mustard dressing, which is fab. I haven't been crazy about any of the homemade potato salad recipes I've tried, so this solves that problem once and for all. 

I really hope you'll try both of these recipes! This will be our new favorite not-so-guilty pleasure.

Panko-Crusted Chicken Drumsticks
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Ingredients:

• 8 chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 1/2 cup whole buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons grated onion 
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise 
• 2 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Using a paring knife, cut 3 slits in the meatiest portion of each drumstick. Place buttermilk, onion, garlic, and drumsticks in a large zip-top plastic bag; refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. Place a rack on a jelly-roll pan; coat the rack with cooking spray. Remove the drumsticks from the bag; discard the marinade. Sprinkle the drumsticks with pepper and salt. Combine panko, cheese, and chives in a shallow dish. Dredge each drumstick in panko mixture. Arrange drumsticks in a single layer on the rack; coat drumsticks lightly with cooking spray. Bake drumsticks at 425° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
4. Combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Serve sauce with chicken.

Next time, I don't think I'll make the mustard dipping sauce. It was delish, but the chicken doesn't need it, in my opinion.

source: cooking light

Roasted Potato Salad
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Ingredients:

• 3 pounds small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 bacon slices (uncooked), chopped 
• 2 cups diced Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 2 medium)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl.
3. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds. Add onion mixture and bacon to potatoes; toss gently. Let stand 15 minutes.
4. Combine mustard, mayonnaise, honey, and vinegar in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add mustard mixture and parsley to potato mixture; toss gently.

 
source: cooking light 

Enjoy!!

Skinny Egg White Breakfast Melts

Breakfast. It's definitely not my strength during the week! I tend to grab a yogurt on my way out the door and eat it when I get to work. I'm so obsessed with Chobani Flip Coconut with Dark Chocolate and Almonds. Every time I'm at the grocery store, I literally swipe all of the containers they have into my cart. I apologize to anyone that shops after me!

But, it is the most important meal of the day, and I love it when I start off with a little more substance. This recipe from Skinny Taste is so delish! It's easy and full of flavor, considering the short ingredient list. Each melt is only 160 calories! That's less than my yogurt.... score!

Skinny Egg White Breakfast Melts
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Ingredients:

• 2 whole grain English muffins, split
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 8 egg whites, whisked
• 4 green onions, finely chopped
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 oz (about 1/2 cup) reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, grated
• 1/2 cup grape or cherry heirloom tomatoes, quartered

Preheat the broiler on high. Place muffins, cut side up, on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown on edges. (Or you can do this in your toaster oven)
Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Add oil and sauté 3 of the scallions about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg whites, season with salt and pepper and cook, mixing with a wooden spoon until cooked through. Divide on toasted muffins and top with tomatoes, cheese and remaining scallions. Broil for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese has melted, careful not to burn. 

Enjoy!

Macadamia Crusted Tilapia with Strawberry Mango Pineapple Salsa and Coconut Jasmine Rice

Is that not the longest title for a recipe ever? To make it any shorter would have meant leaving out one of the big flavors of this dish. And there are a lot. It's like a tropical explosion, and you'll wish you were eating this somewhere close to crashing waves. That's where my mind drifted as I ate this at the coffee table, watching yet another episode of Burn Notice....a show that we've stuck with to the bitter end, but I'm not sure why. I'm getting tired of Michael Westen. He's starting to remind me of Horatio Caine circa a CSI Miami episode from 2007 (remember those great one-liners and how dramatic he was with his sunglasses?). But, we're sticking to our TV show series commitment - I guess so we'll have closure when it ends? These are real problems, as you can see.

On the flip side, I will not grow tired of this recipe any time soon. It was FAB. Keith loved it and devoured the leftovers the next day. It was also pretty easy to pull together and was really refreshing after a good workout. The salsa ingredients could be switched up based on what you have. You can't go wrong!

Macadamia Crusted Tilapia with Strawberry Mango Pineapple Salsa and Coconut Jasmine Rice
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Ingredients:
4 tilapia filets (about 6 ounces each)
1 cup macadamia nuts
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 can light coconut milk
1 lime, juiced
salt
1 cup jasmine rice

Salsa:
1 mango, diced
1/2 pineapple, diced
8-10 strawberries, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional - I used a little green onion instead as Keith doesn't like spice)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 and 1/2 cups water (coconut water, if you have it), 1 cup jasmine rice and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated. remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.

Once the rice is going, cover a large jelly-roll pan with foil. Add an oven-safe cooling rack to the inside of the pan and spray with a little cooking spray (this is optional, but I've found it's the best way to cook things that are coated). Combine the nuts and panko in a food processor and pulse a few times. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish.

Pour the remaining half of the coconut milk into another shallow dish. Dip each tilapia filet into the coconut milk and then dredge in the nut mixture.  Place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the filets with a little salt and drizzle each with some of the fresh lime juice. Spray with more cooking spray and place in the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a light golden brown.

While the rice and fish are cooking, make the salsa by combining all ingredients.
Serve fish over rice and top with salsa.

Recipe adapted from eat-drink-love.

Blackberry Basil Peach Crisp

This has been the dessert of our summer. Granted, I've been cutting back on the sweets (among many things) in an attempt to get in shape. But, sometimes, I have to make something sweet for Keith. And I have to try it, obviously. 

And, y'all, this is gooooooooooooood.

This tasty crisp is easy to make and could be switched up based on whatever fruit you have handy. I've used blackberries and blueberries with the peaches and both are great. And, the addition of fresh basil? Stoppppp with the crazy goodness. I freak out every time I splurge with a spoonful of this stuff. Obsessed!

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Blackberry Basil Peach Crisp

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Ingredients:

4 ripe peaches, peeled and cubed
1 to 1/2 cups of fresh blackberries
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1/4 all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

6 Tbsp softened butter

Ice cream for serving

Additional chopped basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

In a 9x9 (or similar) baking dish, mix peaches, blackberries and basil with sugar, flour and salt. Toss well and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Use your fingers to crumble in the softened butter. Note, the butter needs to be soft (but not melted) or this won't work. Sprinkle the crisp over the fruit. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and crisp is golden brown.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream (my personal favorite) and top with more fresh basil.

ENJOY! Your summer will thank you.